BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS AT HOME 45 



teen-inch lens and an exposure of fifteen seconds, is 

 here shown.'^^ Telephotos have thus far been under- 

 exposed. 



As a means of making the exposure as soon as 

 possible after the Owl appeared, I have on a num- 

 ber of occasions placed my camera in position, fo- 

 cused and otherwise made ready some minutes 

 before he was expected, and I recall with amusement 

 the incredulity of a friend whose surprise at seeing 

 me point my camera skyward without ostensible 

 purpose was in no way lessened when I told him 

 that I had an appointment with an Owl, who was to 

 take his stand shortly in the hole toward which the 

 camera was directed; and fortunately the bird was 

 on time ! 



From the perch, some forty feet aloft, the grave 

 little creature surveys the sceue below with an ex- 

 pression of combined wisdom and thoughtfulness 

 which makes a laugh seem wanton foolishness. At 

 the border of dusk and dark he flies out to feed, 

 often descending to the ground and remaining there 

 for some moments while catching insects. Occa- 

 sionally he takes his prey from the tree trunks, per- 

 haps a cicada struggling from its shell, and on sev- 

 eral occasions I have thought he captured food on 

 the wing. Sometimes the supper hunt leads him to 

 the edge of the croquet lawn, where from the earth 

 or the back of a garden bench he becomes an inter- 

 ested spectator of the last game. When the young 

 appear, later in the month, the evergreens seem alive 

 with Owls, who flit about and utter querulous little 

 calls difficult of description. Toward the end of 

 July, doubtless after the molt is completed, presum- 



